Digital Library

CCE provided written testimony on several truancy bills including Bill 25-0740 the “Truancy Reduction for Student Success Act of 2024”; Bill 25-0754 the “Chronic Absenteeism and Truancy Reduction Amendment Act of 2024”; Bill 25-0758 the “Showing Up for Students Amendment Act of 2024”; and Bill 25-0791 the “Utilizing Partnerships and Local Interventions for Truancy and Safety (UPLIFT) Amendment Act of 2024.

July 2024 Membership List and Affiliations for the District Task Force on Jails & Justice

While considerable attention has been focused recently on illegal behavior by young people in D.C., little is known about the life experiences and circumstances of these youth. One characteristic that many justice-involved young people are known to share is involvement in the child welfare system due to abuse and neglect; they are known as “crossover youth.” This report by CCE for ODCA focuses on how effectively the District is serving this vulnerable population and recommends reforms to the audited agencies’ systems to improve outcomes for young people in the District who are, or who are at risk of becoming, crossover youth. *No judicial member of CCE participated in the formulation or approval of this report. This report's findings and recommendations do not reflect the specific views of or endorsement by any judicial member of CCE.*

The black-letter findings and recommendations from the 2024 report A Broken Web: Improved Interagency Collaboration is Needed for D.C.’s Crossover Youth.

On April 10, 2024, Tracy Velazquez, CCE's Policy Director, testified at the Budget Oversight Hearing for the D.C. Department of Corrections before the Council of the District of Columbia.

This issue brief provides an overview of CCE's efforts to get information and data about the use of solitary confinement - often referred to as restrictive housing or segregation - in D.C. Department of Corrections (DOC) facilities. It goes on to summarize the limited data that was provided after protracted negotiations, and describes the inquiries that remain unanswered by DOC. *No judicial member of CCE participated in the formulation or approval of this report. This report's findings and recommendations do not reflect the specific views of or endorsement by any judicial member of CCE.*

On February 22, 2024, CCE submitted testimony for the Performance Oversight Hearing for the Office of Administrative Hearings before the Council of the District of Columbia.

CCE's 2022-2024 Strategic Plan, which was adopted by our Board of Directors in December 2021, calls on CCE to publish certain race equity metrics and set up a transparent progress to share progress annually to advance public accountability around our race equity goals. This report presents select updates on the progress made in 2023 (not inclusive of progress made in 2022), identifies some important items that have been delayed in implementation because of staffing, capacity, or other challenges, and shares some demographic metrics we are tracking toward our overall diversity goals.

CCE is proud of the impact we have made in the D.C. community in 2023. From successfully advocating for improved jail oversight, to helping advance a legislative proposal to simplify probate for DC residents, to publishing reports on D.C.'s criminal legal system, it has been a busy year. Check out our 2023 Highlights to learn more about these projects and more!

CCE submitted testimony to the record regarding the Metro Safety Amendment Act of 2023.

CCE Criminal Justice Committee Chair Olinda Moyd and Senior Policy Manager Casey Anderson testified before the Committee on the Judiciary & Public Safety regarding the Addressing Crime through Targeted Interventions and Violence Enforcement (ACTIVE) Act of 2023.

On July 17, 2023, CCE published DC's Criminal Legal Systems Overview 2022, a report that offers a data-forward look into the significant challenges and innovations in the District of Columbia's adult and youth criminal legal systems during the last year. As D.C. began to emerge from the most devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022, community members and government leaders continued to navigate challenges caused and exacerbated by the trauma, isolation, and disruptions over the past three years. District residents and policymakers grappled with police accountability, elements of a revised criminal code proposal, an increase in homicides, and how to better support returning citizens and youth.Amid these challenges, D.C. also proved its resilience and resolve, working towards transformative solutions to violence and crime.